Hand brake



F. B. TOWNSEND.

HAND BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1919.

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E' yawuaw Effi per FREDERCK B. TOWNSEND,

rro wiLLrAr/L H.' tarima,

OF CHAZY, NEW YORK.

HAND BRAKE.

ateatro.

Application filed September 5, 1919.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it lrnown that l, FREDERICK B. TOWN- smvn, a citizen of United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of illinois, have invented a certain new an useful improvement in Hand Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hand brakes.

ln the operation of ilat or logging cars, considerable ditiiculty has heretofore been experienced in providing an eflicient form of hand brake which can be accommodated within the limited space obtainable when the car is loaded with logs or lumber or the like and which brake shall at the same time conform to the safety requirements of the interstate Commerce Commission. Hand brakes on such types of cars are, of course, located at the end of the car and the brakeiuan must be able to operate the same while standing on the usual side step of the car. Where a lever is utilized for winding up the chain, the same must be so arranged as to provide a minimum clearance of approximately four inches between all parts of the car and any of the load, in order to conform to safety requirements.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and eflicient hand brake for railway cars and which is particularly adapted for use on logging cars and which at the same time will conform to standard practice.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a top plan view of one corner of a fiat car showing my improvements in Connection therewith, parts of the car being broken away in order to accommodate the figure on the sheet. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view upon a. somewhat enlarged scale corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of 1F ig. Il. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 4 -4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the brake mechanism proper and illustrating more clearly the operation of the release lever, the full lines indicating the normal position of the parts and the dotted lines indicating the position of the lever when the release is eected. And Fig. 6 is an enlarged Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. it), M122.

serial No. 321,758.

detail sectional view and illustrating more particularly the pawl mechanism and corresponding substantially to the line 6-6 of Fig. t.

ln said drawing, the fiat car is shown as comprising the usual fiat floor 10, end sill 11 and side sill 12', the end grab iron 13, side step 14:, side grab iron 15 and top grab iron 16. The improved mechanism, as shown, comprises, broadly, the following elements. A vertical brake or chain winding stati" A, a housing B, a ratchet wheel C, an operating handle or lever D, a pawl E, a locking dog F, a release element Gr, and a release lever H. rilhe staff A is mounted in any suitable manner in a stirrup plate or other structure to provide the necessary bearing and has the usual chain winding drum thereon at its lower end. Said staff A extends upwardly through the end sill 11 of the car and at its upper end is provided with a squared or other non-circular section 17 disposed mainly within the housing B. The ratchet wheel C is provided with hub 18 having an internal recess to accommodate the squared section 17 so that the ratchet wheel C rotates in unison with the staff A. The hub 18 is extended downwardly so as to form a suitable bearing support 19 on the bottom detachable wall 2O of the'housing D.

rlhe operating handle or lever D is movable in a horizontal plane and within an arcuate slot 21 formed in the housing B on the side adjacent the main portion of the car. Said lever D is formed at its inner end with an annular sleeve 22 which seats over the upper end of the hub of the ratchet wheel C and is oscillatably mounted thereon. To prevent dirt or other foreign matter getting within the housing, the lever D is preferably formed with oppositely extending arcuate flanges 23-23 that cover the slot 21. Mounted on the bolt or pivot pin 23 carried by the lever D is a gravity actuated pawl 2li which is adapted to drop down into operative engagement with the radially arranged ratchet teeth 25 on the top face of the ratchet wheel C. lt is evident that by oscillating the lever D, the ratchet wheel will be rotated in one the lever free to move a fresh hold.

To hold the ratchet wheel and the sta A direction step by step and backward to obtain against reverse rotation when there is tenshown in F ig. rIhe dog F is also gravity sion on the brake chain, the locking dog F is employed, the same being pivotally mounted on a pin or bolt 26, said pin being sup.- ported in the outer wall of the casing B and also in a flange 27 arranged as most clearly actuated and of course cooperates with the same ratchet teeth 25.

To effect release of the brake, the annular release element G is employed, the same being mounted within the housing B as shown in Fig. 4. Said element G is of greater diameter than the ratchet wheel C and extends around the latter in normal position but just slightly below the level of the operating teeth of the pawl and dog. Said element G, on diametrically opposed sides thereof, is provided with upwardly extending arms 28-28 that are merged at their upper ends so as to form a U-shaped cross arm as indicated at 29 in Fig. 4. The release lever H is pivotally attached to the cross arm 29 as by the bolt 30, said lever II being pivotally attached to the housing B by a bolt 3l atits end, as indicated in Fig. 5. Both the pawl E and the dog F are provided with laterally extended lugs 32-82 normally lying above the top edge of the element G as clearly shown in Fig. 4. To effect release, the operator lifts the release lever H to the dotted position shown in Fig. 5, which of course causes the elevation of the element G. The latter in turn engages said lugs 32 of the pawl and dog and lifts them out of en- Y agement with the ratchet teeth of the wheel In order to insure perfect safety of the operator, I preferably make the element G so that the upper kedge thereof on the left hand side, as viewed in Fig. 4, will disengage the pawl E before the dog F is disengaged from the ratchet wheel so that there is no danger of the operating lever being suddenly swung around to strike the brakeman.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred method of carrying out the invention, the same is merely plate all changes and modifications as come within the scope of thev claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. In a brake for'railway cars and the like, the combination with a vertically arranged rotatable element adapted to effect winding ,ofa brake chain or the like, ofA a housing, a`

single faced ratchet wheel within the housing and rotatable in unison with said element, of an operating lever extending to the exterior of the housing and oscillatable in a horizontal plane, a pawl associated with said lever and cooperable with said ratchet wheel, a pivoted locking dog cooperable with said ratchet wheel, and means for disengaging the pawl and dog from the ratchet wheel to Ation to a flat car illustrative and I eontem winding of a brake chain or the like, of a housing, a single faced ratchet wheel within the housiner and rotatable in unison with said element, of an operating lever extending to the exterior ofthe housing and oscillatable in a horizontal plane,a pawl pivotally associated with said lever and cooperable with said ratchet wheel, a locking dog cooperable with said ratchet wheel, and means for first disengaging the said pawl and subsequently said dog from the ratchet wheel to thereby effect release of the latter, said means including a member common to and adapted to engage both said pawl and said dog.

3. In a hand brake adapted for application to fiat cars and the like, the combination with a yvertically extending brake-staff, of a housing adaptedV to be mounted on top of the fiat car, la ratchet wheel rotatable in unison with said staff within the housing, an oscillaatable operating lever, a gravity actuated pawl associated with said lever and cooperable with the ratchet wheel, a gravity actuated locking dog mounted within said housing and also cooperable with said ratchet wheel, `and means for disengaging said pawl and locking dog from the ratchet wheel, said means including a member common to and adapted to engage both said pawl and said'dog.

4. In a hand brake adapted for applica- 0r the like, the combination with a vertically' arranged rotatable element 'adapted to effect winding ofa brake chain, y of a housing adapted to be secured to the top of said car, a ratchet wheel within the housing rotatable in unison with said element, an operating lever oscillatable in a horizontal plane and pivotally mounted with respect to said ratchet wheel, a pawl associated with said lever and cooperable with the ratchet wheel, a dog cooperable with said ratchet wheel, a release lever, and means interposed between said lever and. the pawl and dog adapted to effect disengagement of the latter from the ratchet wheel. Y

5. In' a hand brake adapted for application to a Het car or the like, the combination lwith a vertically arranged rotatable element adapted to effect winding of a brake chain, of a'housing adapted to be secured to the top of said car, a ratchet wheel within the housing rotatable inunison with said element, an operating lever oscillatable in a horizontal plane and pivotally mounted with respect to said ratchet wheel, a pawl associated with said lever and cooperable with the ratchet wheel, a dog cooperable with said ratchet wheel a release lever, and means 'interposed separated Yfrom said annular element but between said lever and the pawl .and dog adapted to be engaged by the latter Whenthe adapted to effect disengagement of the latter release level` s moved. 10 from the ratchet Wl1eel,saclmeans oomprsln witness that l claim the foregoing l 'mg an annular member Within the housing have hereunto subscribed my name this lst pvotally connected to said release lever7 proday ot' Sept. 1919. jeetons on said pawl and dog normally FREDERCK B. Tl/VNSEND. 

